On Monday morning, I wasn't sure how to write this last Empty Stocking column. A little sad we missed the goal, I was optimistic about the money we had raised.

Then, the phone rang at 8:54 a.m.

"How much do you need to finish the Empty Stocking?" the caller asked.

I looked up the amount, which was $2,911.

"I believe and support the Salvation Army, ever since it first started in Shelby with Maj. Mae Harris," the caller said. "I'm giving $3,000 to make the goal."

I hung up the phone, squealed in delight and called Maj. Cherry Craddock.

"Woo hoo," was the excited response she gave, before handing the phone to her husband, Maj. David Craddock.

"That's fantastic," David Craddock said. "That is going to give us plenty so that every month we are going to do so much more to help people. We can do about $1,500 extra every month, plus get the new equipment for the office."

The extra $1,500 means one more family will stay warm this winter or a mother will have money to buy medicine for a sick child.

Our donations keep the giving spirit of Christmas going all year long.

Thank you to everyone who donated. While we had some large donations, the goal was met by the sacrifices of many.

We are blessed to live in a county where neighbors help neighbors and people give from their heart.

That giving spirit and the support of the community is a blessing that will stay with the Craddocks when they retire in June, Cherry Craddock said. She and her husband have served 18 months in Shelby.

"We came in slowly and carefully, and we can leave knowing that we have done our best," she said. "It's our last Christmas, and we are going out on a positive note. It is a great end."